Propellent charge holder



Feb. 6, 1945. N. F. ANDERSON PROPELLENT CHARGE HOLDER Filed March 24, 1942 III II Ill! Ill I a my CE m A R n U a m N Patented Feb. 6, 1945 PROPELLENT CHARGE HOLDER Nelson F. Anderson, East Orange, Nil, assignor, I

v by mesne assignments, to United-States Gov ernment, as represented by the Secretary of. War and his successors office a a I Application ll/Iarch 24, 1942, Serial No.' l36,0 41

12 Claims. -(c1. me -c9);-

This invention relates to aholder for propellent charges and in particular for propellent charge holders for use in vaned mortar shells.

The invention concerns a combination of the features shown in the holders of Arthur Adelman, Serial Nos. 418,346 and 418,347, and represents an improvement thereover. In one of saidapplications is described a spring clip for holding propellent charges, which clip is attached to a band insertable on the tail piece of a vaned projectile. The other of said applications has to do with a collar button type of receiver for a propellent charge.

The present invention provides for a collar button type of holder attached to a removable band on the tail piece and further provides for preventing rotation of the band. In addition it provides a novel means of attaching the holders to the band. Furthermore, in the known spring clips their position has been such as to be blown out by powder gases to score the gun barrel or even to remain in the gun. This is obviated in the present invention by removing the holder from the explosion ports in the tail piece.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a holder for propellent charges positioned to be free from the efiects of propellent gases.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a removable multiple propellent holder for vaned projectiles which shall be comparatively free from rotation when in place.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims forming a part of this specification.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a vaned tail piece with a charge holder and one increment of charge.

Figure 2 is a view in elevation of the charge holder of the invention, and

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the charge holder of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference there is shown a tail piece I having a reduced threaded portion 2 for insertion into the rear end of a projectile. The tail piece I is designed to receive a cartridge for initiation of the propelling charge and holes 3 are provided for transmitting the blast of the cartridge to the added charges on the exterior. Vanes 4 having apertures 5 to distribute the pressure of the propellent charge are secured to the'tail piece by any convenient means asfror instance, spot welding.

The charge holder, in the preferred form, comprises a wire 6 looped through adjacent openings I in a ring member 8 received on the tail piece I and abutting the vanes. The openings 1 are made by stamping out an arc of the rin 8, inserting the U-bend of the wiret and then stamping the center of the struck arc back into place between the two branches of the wire. The branches 'of thewire are designed to fit snugly on the two faces of a vane and each is bent outward to a position medially of adjacent vanes on a line between a pair of holes 3 or at any point not directly in front of a hole. The end of each branch of the wire is bent into a generally circular form and over these the charges 9 are snapped by means of perforations H) in the charge.

There is thus provided a multipl charge holder which is easily manufactured and assembled separately from the projectile, is easily and securely applied thereto and which will not be affected by the discharge from the ignition ports in the tailpiece.

The invention is not limited to the collar button type of holder shown herein, but may also include the spring clip type or any other type wherein the holder is located away from the gas ports when in position.

I claim:

1. In combination with a projectile having a hollow tail piece to contain an initiating charge and flash holes in said tail piece, a holder for an external charge on said tail piece extending longitudinally of the tail piece on a line spaced circumferentially from the holes and having a charge holding portion on a line with the holes and between a pair of the same.

2. A holder for propellent charges comprising a ring adapted to fit over a portion of a projectile, a U-shaped member fixed to said ring and depending therefrom, and laterally diverging lower extremities on said member.

3. A holder for propellent charges comprising a ring adapted to fit over a portion of a projectile, a U-shaped member fixed to said ring and depending therefrom, laterally diverging lower extremities on said member, and charge holding means on said extremities.

4. In combination, a projectile having a tail piece and vanes thereon, a ring member surrounding said tail piece, a U-shaped member depending from said ring member with its legs astride a vane.

5. In combination, a projectile having a tail said U-shaped member extending on a line between a pair of flash holes. g

7. In combination, a projectile having a tail piece and vanes thereon, and flash holes in said tail piece intermediate pairs of said vanes, a ring member surrounding said tail piece, a U-shaped member depending from said ring member astride one of said vanes, and spaced from the flash holes, diverging lower extremities on the legs of said U-shaped member extending on a line between a pair of flash holes and chargeholding means on said extremities.

8. In combination, a projectile having a tail piece and vanes thereon, a ring member surrounding said tail piece, parallel members depending from said ring member on either side of one of said vanes and closely adjacent thereto the free ends of the parallel members being bent transversely to space the free ends away from the vanes. v

9. For use with a projectile having vanes, a charge holder comprising a ring member, parallel legs fixed thereto and depending therefrom, said legs being spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a vane and the free ends of the legs being bent substantially transversely.

10. A charge holder for projectiles comprising a ring member and a U-shaped member received in a struck portion of the ring member, the U- shaped member being retained by an inwardly bent portion of the struck portion centrally of the U-shaped member.

11. A charge holder for projectiles comprising a ring member and a leg depending therefrom, said leg having a portion bent away from the line of the leg at its lower extremity and generally tangentially of the ring and a further portion bent radially outward of the ring and a charge holding member on said last portion.

12. In combination, a tail piece for projectiles and a holder for propellant charges comprising a ring mounted thereon, a finger fixed to said ring and depending therefrom closely adjacent the surface of said tail piece and charge receiving means on said finger extending laterally of said tail piece 'whereby a charge increment may be held between said finger and the bore of a gun.

NELSON F. ANDERSON. 

